Tag Archives: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about addictions. We were discussing the fact there are so many addictions that we are not aware of, or how they impact our lives.

When we think of addictions, we often just think about the ones related to drugs or alcohol, but there are countless more.

We get addicted to wheat, sugar, certain chemicals in foods, caffeine, sports, social media… But the addictions that are quietly destructive to our health and happiness are our addictions to negativity.

The media knows that people have a natural draw towards negativity, because of our negativity bias. They play on this, to keep us coming back to their sites.

I often write about the importance of Empaths avoiding media outlets because of the strife it stirs up, and because it creates negative emotions.

Negative emotions give the body a rush of hormones that become addictive. That’s why so many people become hooked on having traumas and problems in their lives. These traumas fuel the brain with a hit of some of its favourite drugs: the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

We read a lot about becoming addicted to dopamine, but we don’t see much about addictions to the stress hormones. But they are equally as damaging.

When the brain or body is addicted to certain stress hormones, it is much harder to recognize than with other addictions. But if not addressed, this dependence becomes the pathway to an unhappy life.

Although I have known many who have a penchant for negativity, there was one particular person I knew, who was heavily addicted (and probably still is). I will call her Shirley.

Shirley would create reasons to be angry and dissatisfied with her life, including anyone in it. She had a very one-tracked mind and would not allow herself to see anything but negativity in a situation. She pushed many people away because of her dark ramblings. Not intentionally though. Anyone who spent time with her, found themselves being dragged into wrathful discussions which would leave them feeling flat and depressed.

She blamed everyone else for her life not being the way she wanted. Shirley expected others to change for her, but not to make any changes for herself. Because she secretly thrived on negativity, she continued to draw into her life more reasons to be negative (law of attraction).

Shirley allowed negativity to make her bitter and vengeful. But that wasn’t who she was deep down. She had a kind side that got squeezed out by the darkness she allowed to grow within.

Her desire for drama was fuelled by her body/brain’s need for stress hormones. Her negativity addiction did so much damage to her life. She refused to address it or see it as being problematic, because she secretly thrived on it. Negativity became her purpose. It was an addiction that she became afraid to live without.

I’m sure every one of you reading this has come across a ‘Shirley’ in your life.

I’m not for a moment suggesting that an Empath is destined to become like Shirley. I wanted to show an extreme example of negativity addiction. However, Empaths are at risk of becoming hooked on the stress hormones stirred up by negativity.

The reason you may not consciously be aware that you are addicted to stress hormones, is because they are activated without you necessarily taking part. And what I mean by this is, the brain will be doing the work.

Once addicted, your brain will work to activate your body into releasing stress hormones by drawing your attention to anything that it knows will make you react.

Picking up and feeling other people’s stress or emotions is also a way your hormones can be triggered. Another is having had experienced trauma in childhood (the memories continue to activate stress hormones throughout life).

A negativity addiction can be at work without you even leaving your home or coming into contact with others. When not around people, stress hormones are activated mostly through the thought process.

After giving up many addictive things, I know exactly how tricky addictions are, especially with the brain. It is not until we give something up for a period of time that we see just how our choices and thoughts were governed by addiction.

With any addiction, we have to see it for ourselves.

If you suspect you have an addiction to negativity, and are therefore drawing more negativity into your life (like attracts like), you have to stay vigilant of knowing when your hormones are being spiked. You normally recognise this by the discomfort around the gut or chest area. It may feel like a burning sensation or a sense of dread.

As soon as you feel this, act immediately with a distraction so that your thoughts don’t get involved. Thoughts feed emotions. Emotions feed thoughts. Emotions are fuel for your stress hormones. You have a seventeen second window before thoughts take over and you become hostage within your own head. This post may help with distraction.

So, yes, Empaths are prone to having negativity addictions and this is because we tend to feel everything so powerfully. But there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Often when we become aware of a problem within, it is half way to overcoming it.

Most Empaths know when they are experiencing stress, but they may have no idea how much of this stress is held within their muscles, which can cause problems…

Our muscles are constantly stimulated through the stresses of modern life, and are often in a near constant state of contraction. Because of this, even in sleep, the muscles don’t fully relax… Which, as you can probably imagine, is not good for Empath stress or overwhelm!

Even when we think we are relaxing, we often aren’t. The TV programs we watch in the evening can have the effect of firing up the mind, which stimulates the muscles, further tensing them, and even reading certain books can put the nerves (and muscles) on edge.

That’s not to mention how the pained emotions, either your own or those you pick up throughout the day from others, are stored within the muscles.

Stressed Muscles Leads to a Stressed Empath Mind!

Whilst reading this you will be holding tension somewhere in your body. Your forehead might be rouched, your eyes might be squinting, your shoulders might be hunched or your wrists extended back, your legs, hips or back might be in an awkward position, all creating pressure in your muscles and joints.

We could go through the entire body, but I think it’s safe to say you are holding muscle tension somewhere.

So Why is This Such a Bad Thing?

When your muscles are constantly contracted, they are fuelling the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Not only is this depleting the body of vital energy, that most can ill-afford to lose, but it is also prematurely ageing, it raises blood pressure, lowers the immune system and unnecessarily heightens Empath stress.

What To Do About It

By training the muscles to soften and loosen, through relaxation, it switches on the parasympathetic nervous system. This in turn, slows the breathing, lowers blood pressure, initiates deep relaxation of body and mind, and allows healing to occur.

One of the best and easiest ways to get a muscle to relax is to tense it first.

If you’ve ever been in a yoga class and the teacher asked you to tense all the muscles in your body before relaxation, it was to aid in releasing any held tension and to allow you to relax more deeply. Here are just some of the benefits:

Relaxation Benefits

Reduces fatigue

Anti-ageing

Lowers blood pressure

Boosts the immune system

Induces restful sleep

Allows for muscle regeneration

Switches on the parasympathetic nervous system

Promotes mind stillness

Aides in general well-being.

It is said that the relaxation, at the end of a yoga class, is the most beneficial part of the practice. Not only is it time for the body to rest, but it’s the time the benefits of yoga practise are fully integrated.

Relaxation can be done at anytime of day but it is great to do at bedtime or after exercise.

As Empaths, I’m sure many of you have experienced a social hangover… I know I certainly have.

So, what exactly is a social hangover and how does it affect us?

Basically, it’s similar to a boozy hangover, except it’s caused from consuming too much people energy and it happens whether you drink alcohol or not.

The physical symptoms are varied from one Empath to the next, but here are just a few: fatigue, headaches and generally feeling blah. For more extreme cases, it may require a day in bed.

Back in the days when I used to drink alcohol, I assumed feeling rough the day after was all down to guzzling too many Budweiser. So, when I ventured out alcohol free, I was surprised to discover I still got the ‘hangover’. I soon clicked on to the fact that it was the aftereffects of being peopled (alcohol had just heightened the impact). Continue reading →

As it’s new year and we all have intentions of becoming healthier and happier, I’ve decided to do a fantastic offer on Kindle Countdown for all you lovely Empaths. For 2 days you can get the Empath Eating plan for $1.26. Yes, that’s right, only $1.26. The price will gradually increase until it goes back to full list price on 16th January 2019.

You can click here to have a quick read through of the first part of the book, to see if the information is for you. Remember it’s only for 2 days that the price will be so low.Continue reading →

Too many Empaths go through life feeling like they don’t belong. It’s as though they have been dumped in a reality that is not a fit for them… So why is that?

Even before we discover who we are, as Empaths, we can feel like a giant square peg trying to squeeze into a tiny hole.

We look around at those who glide through life, following the rules laid down by society, who appear contented with the way the system operates and who slot in with others effortlessly. Even if they are unhappy, they never seem to question anything, nor find fault with ‘the way things work’. We may wonder why is it so easy for them to ‘fit in’ but not for us?

There are several reasons for this ‘sense of not belonging’ the Empath has; one of which being the way we ‘feel’. Continue reading →

Are you one of the many Empaths who struggles to stay in control of how you feel?

You are not alone. The stresses of ‘Empath life’ certainly takes its toll on the emotional and physical wellbeing of many Empaths.

But did you know that just by drinking more water you can become healthier, both emotionally and physically?

Sound too good to be true…? Read on…

The body consists of up to 75% water (some body tissue has 95%), so it will come as no surprise that we need to drink lots of water to stay in balance physically and mentally.

When out-of-sorts, we can turn to water as a quick pick-me-up. Not only will it help keep the body functioning properly but it also helps in dealing with Empath overwhelm and emotional energy.

Most are unaware just how dehydrated they are, because they regularly drink fluids throughout the day. But as the body uses so much water, just to function, it is quickly being used and in constant need of replenishment.

Breathing alone loses a quarter of the body’s water, on a daily basis, and that’s without any physical exertion.

Dehydration affects well-being, appearance and accelerates the aging process. Being well-hydrated is essential to keep the body functioning and the energy levels stable.

We could not survive more than a few days without fluid and this should make it clear how important it is.

But not only does an insufficient supply of water create problems with the functioning of the body and mind, it can also influence how an Empath experiences the energy of others.

Because they are often on overload, from experiencing too much emotional energy, the Empath’s filtering system does not always work as efficiently as it could; meaning toxins stay in the body longer than they should. Which can play havoc with their emotions.Continue reading →

This morning I was happy to find a newsletter from the renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Judith Orloff, in my inbox. The newsletter stated she had recently gone gluten and sugar free and she now recommends this way of eating to other Empaths.

I was excited by the fact the word is clearly spreading about the importance of addressing the diet to find complete balance, and health and happiness as an Empath.

I have written about the benefits of changing the diet for some years now, after seeing the changes in myself when I removed certain foods from my life. Not only in my health but in my Empath ways.

Certain foods can play havoc with Empath traits. But by making small changes to the diet it can transform our life in the most amazing way.

The more of us who discover the effect food has on our happiness and health, not just as an Empath but as a human, the more who can then spread the word.

The book is written for an Empath by an Empath. I explain how my traits had been impacted, by what I was eating, and the changes I made.

Here’s a snippet of what the book entails:

Why the wrong diet leaves the Empath life-weary, energetically open and overly receptive to the negative emotions of others.

What you don’t know about wheat. How it has been genetically altered and why this has affected our health and Empath traits.

The destructive effect wheat and sugar has on the Sensitive person’s brain and the reason they are both hidden in most processed foods.

Why Empaths and HSPs are hardwired into becoming addicted to drug-like foods and how this can be corrected.

How strong emotions, coupled with poor diet, damage the gut and trigger anything from anxiety and excessive introversion to lower back pain and stomach disorders, and the approaches to rectify the damage.

Ways to soothe the seat of emotions through nutrition.

An easy-to-follow eating plan that will get you off wheat and sugar for good, reshape your life and lead to a more blissful existence.

As well as a 4-week elimination plan, the book includes at least 90 mouth-watering, easy-to-follow recipes to make the food transition a comfortable and effortless one.

After much trial and error in the kitchen over the years (and mess), I have amassed a wide selection of gluten and sugar-free recipes and have included many of them in the book.

The path of the Empath is already challenging enough; we should not be taken down by what we eat.

We all want to find balance and peace, but that will not happen without a change in our eating habits.

The wrong diet affects our spiritual awareness and prevents intuition from developing. It also heightens the impact of other people’s energy and emotions, and hinders one’s ability to find inner calm, happiness and health

Until we make necessary changes to the diet, we don’t get to see how foods, like wheat and sugar, have been unnecessarily bringing us down emotionally and affecting our health.

My life has transformed since changing my diet and I know yours can too.

If you are interested and ready to change your diet and change your life, whilst losing some weight in the process, this book is for you!

I think you will probably all agree that, for the Empath, when it comes to wellbeing, there certainly seems to be never ending hurdles to overcome.

Like many of you lovely Empaths out there, I consider myself to be somewhat introverted. And living in this extrovert world can often make me feel like I’m a large square peg being pushed into a small round hole.

And as is typical of an introvert, the thought of going out in busy peopled places or having to attend bustling social events sometimes ignites a bout of ‘social dread’ for me.

So, when I recently came across a condition that causes unnecessary social anxiety and excessive introversion, it immediately caught my attention.

The condition is called Pyroluria. and is caused by a lack of vitamin B6 and the mineral zinc.

Vitamin B6 and zinc are stripped from the body when under a lot of stress. As most Empaths suffer with high levels of emotional stress, they have to consider their nutrient levels may be low.

The majority of Empaths have no idea how much tension they hold within their bodies.

Most unknowingly have their muscles in a constant state of contraction, and, because of this, even in sleep, they don’t fully relax… Which leads to extra Empath stress and overwhelm!

Your muscles are constantly stimulated, through the stresses of modern life and also through vigorous sports and exercise.

Even the TV programs, watched of an evening to relax, have an effect of firing up the mind which stimulates the muscles, further tensing them.

Also, painful emotions, either your own or those you pick up from others, are stored within the muscles, leading to greater muscle fatigue.

Stressed Muscles Leads to a Stressed Empath Mind!

Did you know, even now, whilst reading this, you are holding tension somewhere in your body?

If you take your awareness to your face you may notice that your forehead, jaw or eyes are not relaxed. If you travel further into the body you may find your shoulders hunched or your wrists extended back, your legs, hips or back might be in an awkward or unnatural position, all creating pressure in the muscles and joints. But, until this was pointed out, you were unaware you were holding any tension.

We could go through the entire body, but I think it’s safe to say you will be unwittingly holding tension somewhere.

When your muscles are constantly contracted, they are fuelling the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Not only is this depleting the body of vital energy, that most can ill-afford to lose, but it is also prematurely ageing, it raises blood pressure and lowers the immune system and unnecessarily heightens Empath stress.

What To Do About It

By training the muscles to soften and loosen, through relaxation, it switches on the parasympathetic nervous system. This, in turn, slows the breathing, lowers blood pressure, initiates deep relaxation of body and mind, and allows healing to occur.

In yoga, it is known that the relaxation, at the end of a class, is the most beneficial part of the practice. Not only is it time for the body to rest but it’s the time the benefits of practise are fully integrated.

One of the best and easiest ways to get a muscle to relax is to tense it first. If you’ve ever been in a yoga class and the teacher asked you to tense your muscles before relaxation, it was to help you drift into a deep relaxation.

Here is an excellent way to try the technique:

Lie on the floor or a bed (for anyone suffering back problems: a bolster or cushion under knees is helpful).

Starting at the feet, tense them for five to ten seconds then release.

Work up through limbs, torso and face, tensing and relaxing each body part in turn (great if you can’t sleep) and then, when you’ve tensed each body part, allow yourself to let go.

Go through each body part and allow it to relax and go floppy

Stay for a while in this deep state of stillness.

If time is short, you could tense the lower part of body first, then the upper half, finishing on the face.

Not only does the above exercise promote relaxation but it also aids in stilling the mind.

Relaxation can be done at any anytime of day but it is great to do at bedtime or after exercise.

If, as an Empath, you suffer any kind of stress conditions or chronic fatigue, doing full-body muscle tensing and relaxation is a great help to your overall well-being. Here are just some of the benefits: